Mully's Musings: vs. Edmonton

There are those rare times during an 82-game NHL regular season when a team plays flawlessly and does everything well. Then there are times when a team just plays a stinker.
For Nashville, the latter took place last night.

Edmonton jumped out early on the Predators and finished with a 6-2 victory at Bridgestone Arena. The loss ended a solid homestand for the Preds, who earned six out of a possible 10 points. But very little went well on Tuesday night. The Oilers, who defeated Chicago 9-2 on Saturday, showed their skill and speed and held a 3-0 lead after the first period.

It appeared Nashville would be shut out for the first time this season, but Jordin Tootoo and Jonathon Blum added third period goals. But the hole was too deep.

Nashville embarks on a five-game road trip, and the Preds will have a chance to redeem themselves against the Oilers on Monday in Edmonton.

On to the musings…

THREE MUSINGSGoalie depth: Nashville Coach Barry Trotz did not criticize goaltender Pekka Rinne about giving up three goals on 13 shots in the first period. He said it was more of a team situation. Backup goaltender Anders Lindback started the second period and held the Oilers scoreless for 20 minutes, but Edmonton notched three goals in the third. It will be interesting to see who the coaching staff puts in goal on Wednesday at Minnesota. There was likely a plan to start Lindback against the Wild so Rinne would not have to start back-to-back games, but Rinne would probably want to start on Wednesday considering he played only one period and would like to get the bitter taste out of his mouth.

Scary situation: Captain Shea Weber suffered an injury to his face in the second period, but returned to the ice. Weber finished with an assist and tied for a game-high in blocked shots with two. After the game while facing the media, Weber was obviously frustrated with the team’s performance. But it was one of those moments when it was clear that Weber is the perfect captain for this club. He stayed under control, sternly made his point, and moved on. His on-ice play Tuesday was the way a captain leads by example, as was his demeanor afterwards in the locker room.
Moving on: It’s a classic situation in the NHL. When a team suffers a bad loss at home, the best thing is a road game. Nashville has that opportunity. And it will come quickly. The Preds will look to regroup when they face the Wild on Wednesday in Minnesota. Road games allow for the team to come together and limit outside distractions. Following the Minnesota game, Nashville will play four consecutive road games before returning home.

THREE QUOTES
D Shea Weber: “We needed to be prepared and we weren’t. We gave the game away in the first period. We got life after that, but that just doesn’t cut it.”

F Mike Fisher: “I think we all need to be better, especially early. We got some chances, but we have to muster something up early and have a better start and get the guys going.”

Coach Barry Trotz: “We didn’t take advantage of a very young defense on their side. We lost the game in the first period.”